


An Anticipated Reunion

by CountDorku



Series: Burning Bright [3]
Category: She-Ra and the Princesses of Power (2018)
Genre: Adoption, Angst with a Happy Ending, Gen, Past Adora/Catra (She-Ra), Reunions, [sprays feels directly into the ceiling fan]
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-09-10
Updated: 2020-09-10
Packaged: 2021-03-06 23:06:37
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,548
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/26396866
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/CountDorku/pseuds/CountDorku
Summary: Tigara gets to meet someone very important.
Relationships: Adora & Catra (She-Ra), Adora/Glimmer (She-Ra)
Series: Burning Bright [3]
Series URL: https://archiveofourown.org/series/1917037
Kudos: 19





	An Anticipated Reunion

The force had appeared almost on Brightmoon’s doorstep at the crack of dawn.

The guards, wartime reflexes coming back to life, had almost caused an incident before someone thought to train a spotlight on the newcomers, who had seemed more numerous in the darkness; illuminated, there were no more than a score of them. The light picked out their banner: the throne of a queen, picked out in red, and surrounded by a golden ouroboros, all on a black banner.

Adora, her dress uniform hurriedly thrown on, raced down to the front door to greet them.

“Queen Huntara,” she said formally. “How…unexpected.”

“Thought we’d test your alertness,” grunted Etheria’s newest monarch, grinning wolfishly. Huntara was wearing what passed for formal wear in Redthrone; her jacket was fancier than the standard uniform of the Crimson Wastes used to be, and it looked like it had no sleeves because it had been tailored that way, rather than them having been torn off. It was scuffed from the hard journey, but that was kind of how things went in Redthrone.

Similar efforts at formality had been applied to Huntara’s motley crew of snake-men and scoundrels, but less successfully. You would get much the same effect if you adopted a stray off the meanest street in Seaworthy and then had two days to get them ready for a high society dog show.

Standing just behind Huntara was a figure that seemed to be doing its best to stay anonymous. A thick, hooded coat, layers of fabric on every inch of visible skin. Presumably, this was Huntara’s number two, supposedly one of the prime movers in Redthrone’s unification.

Adora thought for a moment, and then her brain dredged up the appropriate protocols. “Queen Huntara,” she said, making her words as loud and clearly enunciated as possible, “allow me, as Queen-Consort of Brightmoon, to extend formal welcome to you and your delegation. Please, follow me into the castle; we shall have rooms made up for all of you.”

“Thanks.” Huntara had apparently never heard of the appropriate protocols; to be fair, it wasn’t like the Crimson Wastes were exactly the place to learn etiquette. “Don’t worry about this lot; I’ve mostly taught them not to spit indoors, and they know if they steal anything, I’ll kick their butts for it.”

“Uh…Brightmoon thanks you.” Adora made a face. “How am I doing?”

“Better ‘n’ me, Blondie.” Huntara clapped an affectionate hand on her shoulder. “When Sparkles wakes up, we need to talk about trade. We found some old mines that weren’t tapped out yet, so at least we have stuff _to_ trade this time.”

“Of course. Come in.”

***

Before long, Glimmer had been hauled out of bed and stuffed into her most queenly outfit to get her diplomacy going. That was usually a bad call, because Glimmer wasn’t at her most diplomatic before midmorning, but honestly a bit of crankiness was probably going to help with this particular negotiation – Huntara never was one to stand on ceremony.

While they were busy, Adora managed to track down their hooded visitor in the gardens. The children were playing nearby, under the watchful eyes of the guards – it looked like one of Lunara’s three-sided ball games. As Adora closed in, Tigara did a leap and, more through luck and reflexes than judgment, managed to headbutt the ball into Stellara’s goal.

“I think we need to talk,” said Adora softly, and the hooded figure started.

“When did you figure it out?”

The voice was unmistakable. A little scratchier, perhaps, but instantly recognisable.

“I had my suspicions, but Huntara kind of confirmed them when she called Glimmer ‘Sparkles.’”

An all-too-familiar chuckle escaped the hooded figure. “I can’t believe I used to joke that you were stupid.” She looked out to the improvised playing field, ringed by home-made goals made from sticks dug into the ground. “How is she doing?”

No need to ask which _she_ that was. “She’s doing well. According to her teachers, she’s got real promise as a spellcaster, and we’re talking about maybe sending her and Lunara to Mystacor to study when they’re older – if they want, anyway.”

“And she’s happy?”

“Yes.”

“Good. That’s good.”

They watched as Stellara pulled off a surprisingly acute ricochet shot.

“So,” Adora said, desperately fumbling for words. “You and Huntara, huh?”

“Not like that,” their visitor said, without rancour. “I was wandering in the Wastes, and she hit me up for an alliance. We took out some of the gang leaders, started putting things in order. I gotta admit…it feels good helping to _build_ something. Last time I was second-in-command of anything…” She didn’t even try to finish that sentence.

Adora smiled faintly. “And you couldn’t come up with a better name than Redthrone?”

“Didn’t you call a horse ‘Horsey’ one time?”

“I was fresh out of the Horde, give me a break.”

There was a short pause, and then Adora said, “Are you planning to talk to her?”

“…Yeah. Yeah, I should.”

“I’ll go get her, then.” Adora raised a warning finger. “Meet me in the castle library.”

“Don’t worry. I’ll be there.”

* * *

“But Stellara and Lunata are going to get a lot more points-”

“This is important, Tigara – you can play with your sisters later.” Adora pushed open the library door and said, “Someone arrived with the Redthrone delegates this morning that you need to meet.”

As they stepped through, Catra threw back her hood.

She looked different. She was older, certainly – how could she not be? Adora hadn’t seen her face in nearly a decade – but there was more than that. Most notable was the scar over her left eye, which had probably come within half an inch of blinding her. She looked like an alley cat brawler, not the grand vizier of Etheria’s newest state.

Adora’s own scars twinged for a moment to see her, but she clamped down on it. Her own complicated history with Catra wasn’t the issue here. This was for Tigara.

“Hey, kiddo,” said Catra gently, bending down to look her daughter in the eye. “I’m-”

“Catra!”

Tigara’s voice was thick with a stew of emotions that someone so young really shouldn’t have to deal with.

Catra pulled her into a tight hug and said, “I know, Tigara. I know. I’m sorry.”

“Why?” Adora’s heart hurt, just a little bit, at the sound of Tigara’s voice. “Why did you-”

“I had to.” Catra let go and rose to her feet, turning to stare out the window. “Adora, how much have you told her?”

“A little.”

“Okay.” Catra took a deep breath. “Tigara, I…”

“Mama Adora said you were afraid you’d hurt me. But I…”

“You don’t get how.” Catra’s eyes flicked downwards. “Okay, I’ll try to explain. Adora and me…we grew up in a place where we never learned to love. We had to figure it out ourselves…and I didn’t do a very good job of it.” She chuckled, but it sounded so pained and forced that it was almost uncomfortable to listen to. “I…the Fright Zone…taught me that loving someone meant controlling them. I needed total control. I would hurt Adora for having other friends. We promised to have each other’s backs…but that always meant that she had mine, and I never really had hers. When she left, met your other mom and joined the Rebellion, I tried to punish her for it – I spent _months_ hurting her because I was mad that she thought doing the right thing was more important than doing what I wanted her to do. When I had you…I couldn’t have given you what you needed or deserved.”

“You gotta be trying, though,” Tigara said. “Uncle Bow says what matters is that you’re trying to be better.”

“And I am, kiddo. I am. But…it takes time, and I didn’t want to hurt you while I tried – especially since I was also helping Huntara build a kingdom.” She gestured to her scar. “I got this the day before you turned one. I couldn’t ditch Huntara, I couldn’t bring you up in the Crimson Wastes, and I couldn’t use you to fix me – I had to fix myself. All I could do was give you what I never had. A family…that would teach you how to love properly.”

Tears were running down Tigara’s cheeks, and Adora thought she saw them gathering at the edges of Catra’s eyes too.

Catra hugged Tigara again. “I’m sorry. I…had to do what I thought was best for you.”

Tigara looked up and said plaintively, “Are you gonna visit more?”

“You know…I think I am.” Catra cleaned a tear out of Tigara’s fur. “Now you’d better introduce me to your sisters. Let them know that their weird aunt is in town.”

As Tigara raced ahead, Adora said, “You weren’t the only one who came out of the Fright Zone with a controlling streak.”

“I know. But…you never hurt anyone on purpose. You tried to control people for their own sake, to protect them…I tried to control people to protect _me_.” Catra chuckled ruefully – and it was a real chuckle, this time. “You always were the best of us, Adora. Come on. I wanna meet the rest of the family.”

**Author's Note:**

> So this is, for the moment, all I've got planned for _Burning Bright_. I may do more in future, but I can't make any promises.


End file.
